WHat can A bypass do to you?

Question

MY dad is having a cardiac bypass surgery on friday. I am only 12 so i don't know a lot about it. BUt i was wondering, is it ever deadly? Like about what percent of people that have had it go in breathing and come out not?

Answer 1

I had it done 17 months ago. Complications are about 1 in 1,000 or more.

The long bone conecting the ribs in the top of the chest is carefully split lengthwise, pressed open with a spreader clamp, and then held open so they can work on his heart.

They'll remove a vein from his arm or leg, probably pulling it through not, cutting his leg open. Cut it in a few pieces, and connect those to his heart arteries, going around the sections that are mostly blocked, and connect them to his big blood vessel, the aorta, coming out of the heart. Then they'll close up, and in my case, they wired my ribs shut, from the inside so it would stay closed and the bone heal. Now in X-Rays, I look like I have trash bag ties in my chest.

He will probably come home the following Friday, like I did. He'll need a lot of rest, and get tired just walking around a little the first week. He needs everything quiet and relaxing. I slept better on the couch, with my shoulders up. I did that for two months.

After he starts exercising little by little, he'll seem just fine.

Answer 2

I'd be lying if I said that cardiac bypass surgery didn't carry some risks. People have died during, or soon after, the surgery; but honestly that is true of ANY surgery. But while I know I can't keep you from worrying, let me try to reassure you a little bit. Cardiac bypass surgery has become VERY common. In medicine, the more common a procedure is being done, the safer it is, because the doctors have more opportunities to practice. While it varies, I'd say the mortality rate for this surgery is around 3 percent of all patients...maybe less...depending where you are in the country.

My father had his FIRST cardiac bypass in 1979. He lived SO LONG after that bypass, that eventually his heart arteries started to clog up again and he had to have a SECOND bypass in the 1990s. He finally passed on for OTHER reasons about 3 years ago. So, I would say you have lots of reasons to think that you will have your Dad around for many years to come.

All the best.

Answer 3

My dad just had bypass surgery on monday and I was terrified, I couldn't sleep at all the night before. But he came out just fine. I did a lot of reading online about it and it seems that it's actually considered a pretty common routine surgery now with minimal risks. Although it is still risky because they will stop his heart and put him on a machine that breathes and circulates blood for him, but cardiologists are very well trained and know what they're doing. Over 500,000 of these surgeries are performed every year in the US and the death rate is low, especially in younger patients. My dad is 53, not obese, doesn't smoke, walks every day and he's doing well now, though he'll be int he hospital all week. As long as your dad is fairly healthy he should be just fine.

Answer 4

When a doctor recommends a by pass it's in the interest of the patient and his family. I have searched this article for you, so that virtually every thing is clear:
How It Works

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting doesn't remove the obstructing blockages in the arteries. The procedure "reroutes" the flow of blood by using a "detour" pathway. Typically, the blockages occur in the first centimeter or two of the major branches feeding the heart. The smaller branches are usually not involved until very late life. Thus, it is possible to hook a new source of blood into the artery just beyond the last major blockage. Blood flows into the artery through a different path (such as a vein bypass graft) and reaches the heart muscle tissue where it is needed. The heart doesn't care how the blood gets there, as long as it gets what it needs during times of peak demand. Once the volume and pressure of blood flow is restored, the symptoms of exertional chest discomfort are relieved . The most common material used to build this new pathway is a vein from the lower extremity. In each of us, there is a long straight vein called the Greater Saphenous Vein (or GSV) running from just inside the ankle bone up to the groin. This vein is just one of a large series of veins in the lower extremity. However, the GSV is the right size, shape, and length for use as a bypass conduit. The other major vessel used as a bypass graft is the Left Internal Mammary Artery (LIMA). Recent studies have shown that the LIMA is more resistant to atherosclerotic deposition than even the native coronary arteries. This vessel courses alongside the undersurface of the breastbone (aka sternum). By detaching the lower end of the LIMA, the vessel can be transplanted to the surface of the heart.

Regardless of which conduit is used for the bypass, the main advantage offered by this surgical approach is the restoration of blood supply to the heart. The vein or mammary artery provide a new and unobstructed route for blood flow. When the surgeon connects the bypass to the native coronary artery beyound the obstruction, blood has a new path in which to flow into the blood vessel beyound the blockage. Then when the heart demands more blood flow, the situation can be met by the new source of blood flowing through the bypass graft. It is important for the surgeon to provide a bypass for each major branch that is obstructed. In that way, the whole heart will have more blood supply, and the anginal (chest) pains will be relieved.

Technical Aspects

Although possible, it is difficult to sew tiny arteries and veins together when the heart is still beating. Many of the initial CABG operations in the 1960s were done without stopping the heart beat. However, the invention and improvement of the heart-lung machine permitted surgeons to temporarily stop the heart from beating while these delicate hookups were created. The heart-lung machine is connected to the patient before the actual bypass grafts are created. During the operation, the patients vital functions become fully supported by this "artificial circulation" while the heart is rested and the bypass grafts are created. After completion of the grafting, the heart contractions are restored and the circulation transfered back to the native heart and lungs. The pump equipment is removed from the patients vascular system, the anticoagulant is reversed, and the operation is finished.

A typical CABG operation begins with a vertical opening into the front of the chest. The breast bone (aka "sternum") is divided with a specialized (reciprocating) saw, similar to a "jig" saw used in woodworking (only designed just for this incision). The split sternum is spread open with a device that functions like a winch. The soft tissues in front of the heart are parted, and the membrane surrounding the heart (the pericardium) is incised. Next, the surgeon removes the Internal Mammary Artery from the chest wall to provide a donor artery for grafting.

Simultaneously, an assistant surgeon proceeds with harvesting additional conduit, usually the Greater Saphenous Vein (GSV) from the inside of the calf or thigh. This vein is long, straight, and the proper caliber for use as a donor graft to the heart. In the average patient, there is ample length to reach all the potential target vessels on the heart. In addition, the leg contains many redundant veins, so removal of the GSV does not impair the return of blue blood from the extremity.

After all the donor vessels are harvested, the patients blood is thinned with a large dose of the potent anticoagulant heparin. This renders the blood incapable of clotting when exposed to the plastic tubing and surfaces of the heart-lung machine. As described above, the patients circulation is connected to the heart-lung bypass circuit, and the body placed onto the support machinery. Then the body temperature is lowered (by refrigerating the blood as it circulates through the machine). In addition, blood flow to the heart is separated from that going to the rest of the body by a vascular clamp applied to the aorta just below the insertion of the arterial return cannula. The coronary arteries are then perfused with a cold potassium solution. The heart is immediately rendered motionless, cold, and relaxed. The body is preserved by the nutrient flow provided by the heart-lung circuit, while the heart is preserved by the low temperature and other conditions managed by the surgeon.

Next, each target vessel is identified as it runs across the surface of the heart. For each intended bypass, the surgeon makes a tiny opening into the front wall of the target coronary artery with a very fine knife. The opening is expanded with specialized scissors. A donor vessel, either vein or IMA is stitched to this opening with delicate fine suture material. Currently, the best suture material is made from polypropylene and is finer in diameter than a human hair. After all the grafts are sutured to the heart arteries, the vascular clamp is released, allowing blood to flow into the native heart arteries again. For the IMA, it is already connected to the native circulation proximally, so it can immediately begin its job of perfusing the heart.

Internal Mammary Artery grafts are already attached at their origin from the main artery to the arm (the subclavian artery). Blood flowing through the IMA directly comes from the subclavian artery. However, GSV grafts are detached at both ends. After connecting one end of the vein to the coronary artery, the other end must then be connected to a source of red blood. This is done by partially occluding a segment of the ascending aorta with a specialized, curved vascular clamp. Holes are created in the front wall of the aorta, and the veins are anchored to these openings with fine suture. After releasing this partially occluding clamp, the veins fill with red blood from the aorta and deliver this blood to the coronary arteries downstream.

After the heart has had a chance to recover from the temporary arrest period, the heart-lung circuit can be gradually withdrawn. When the heart is beating strongly again, then the heart-lung machine is stopped, and the equipment removed. The anticoagulant (heparin) is chemically reversed (with a drug called protamine). The surgeon then inspects and controls any remaining bleeding. Finally, the wounds are closed and the patient sent to intensive care for recovery.

Discussion

The average patient, without any major post-operative problems, can leave the hospital in about 6 days from surgery. It will take about another 2 to 3 weeks for most patients to feel stronger and regain normal body habits, such as appetite, sleep patterns, bowel patterns, etc. For patients who work in non-physical jobs, many can return to employment within 4 to 6 weeks of surgery. Some patients return to work even earlier, depending on their level of energy. Usually, antianginal medications are no longer needed. However, high blood pressure and diabetic medications will often continue as they did pre-operatively. After full recovery, the vast majority of patients (over 90%) can return to full and active lifestyle, including exercise, travel, and employment.
Over 200,000 CABG operations are performed annually in the USA. Many of you will surely know relatives, friends, or neighbors who have undergone this operation. Millions are now living longer and healthier as a result of the surgical treatment of their blocked coronary arteries. Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery continues to provide a safe and effective treatment for a large number of people for whom medications and other treatments are not satisfactory. With overall improvements in technique and peri-operative care, the vast majority of patients can undergo this complex operation with a high margin of safety and an excellent chance for full recovery.
You can visit this link:
http://www.enter.net/~fsadr/cabg.htm